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Thursday, June 14, 2012

Twenty individuals, including alleged
associates of the Gambino crime family of La Cosa Nostra, have been charged
with various federal offenses related to their alleged involvement in a
large-scale illegal Internet sports bookmaking operation and illegal card
gambling clubs in Stamford and Hamden, Connecticut, the U.S. Attorney’s Office
announced.

On May 8, 2012, a federal grand jury in
New Haven returned a 10-count indictment charging the following individuals:

This matter stems from a long-term
investigation led by the FBI Fairfield County Organized Crime Task Force, the
Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and the Stamford Police
Department. The investigation has included more than seven months of
court-authorized wiretaps and the execution of search warrants in three
different states. The indictment was unsealed today following the arrests of a
majority of the defendants.

“The Fairfield County Organized Crime
Task Force, comprised of the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Stamford and
Bridgeport Police Departments, and the Connecticut State Police, has worked
diligently to expose the alleged illegal acts of crime families and their
associates and to bring them to justice,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge
Kimberly K. Mertz. “Today’s arrests are a reminder that the FBI and its law
enforcement partners are out in the streets investigating organized crime 24/7
and working to eliminate its regional impact.”

“With these indictments, the Organized
Crime Task Force has disrupted an alleged criminal organization that commits
crimes against our society,” said William P. Offord, Special Agent in Charge,
IRS Criminal Investigation. “Taking assets away from illegal organizations is
one of the government’s most effective tools against money laundering and
organized crime.”

“This is another example of a long-term,
collaborative effort that led to many arrests of suspects involved in ongoing
criminal activities,” said Captain Richard Conklin of the Stamford Police
Department. “These investigations with federal authorities have proven very
successful and are unhindered by state or city borders.”

The indictment alleges that the Gambino
crime family of La Cosa Nostra is headquartered in New York City and has
operated in Fairfield County, Connecticut since at least the early 1980s under
the direction of different members or associates who reported to members of the
crime family in New York. Dean Depreta, Richard Uva, Thomas Uva, IV, Douglas
Corbin, and Joseph Borea were Stamford-based associates of the Gambino crime
family. Depreta reported to a Gambino “Solider,” a made member of the crime
family who oversaw activities in Connecticut.

The indictment alleges that all of the
defendants, with the exception of Norboe, were involved in a large-scale sports
bookmaking operation in which gamblers placed bets with offshore Internet
sports-gambling websites, particularly www.44wager.com based in Costa Rica. The
defendants collected and disbursed funds to and from bettors locally, and
transferred a portion of the proceeds to Depreta and Richard Uva. Depreta,
Richard Uva, and others then sent payments in the form of Western Union money
orders to Caffro in Florida for using www.44wager.com.

The indictment further alleges that
Depreta, Richard Uva and others operated three illegal card gambling clubs in
Connecticut. Depreta, Richard Uva, Thomas Uva IV, and Corbin conducted card
games at 514 Glenbrook Road in Stamford; Depreta, Richard Uva, and Califano
conducted card games at 859 East Main Street in Stamford, and Depreta, Richard
Uva, Liquori, Pepe, and Norboe conducted card games at 2965 State Street in
Hamden. A portion of the profits from these clubs was transferred to Depreta
and Richard Uva.

The indictment alleges that, in
violation of Connecticut state extortion law, “tribute” payments were collected
from individuals who ran their own independent sports-gambling operations in
Fairfield County, which permitted these individuals to operate their operations
in territory controlled by the Gambino crime family.

The indictment charges Depreta, Richard
Uva, Thomas Uva IV, Corbin, and Borea with conspiring to violate the federal
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, a charge that
carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to
$250,000.

The indictment also charges all 20
defendants with at least one count of operation of an illegal gambling
business, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years and a fine
of up to $250,000, on each count. Depreta, Richard Uva, and Thomas Uva, IV are
charged with interstate travel in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum term
of imprisonment of five years and a fine of up to $250,000, on each count; and
Richard Uva, Thomas Uva, IV, and Caffro are charged with money laundering,
which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to
$500,000.

As to Depreta, Richard Uva, Thomas Uva,
IV, Corbin, and Borea, the indictment seeks the forfeiture of approximately
$1.69 million derived from their alleged racketeering activity, including
$174,537 in cash that was seized on April 28, 2011 during a court-authorized
search of Richard Uva’s former residence in Stamford.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office stressed that
an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each
defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable
doubt.

The matter is being investigated by the
FBI Fairfield County Organized Crime Task Force, the Internal Revenue
Service-Criminal Investigation, the Stamford Police Department, the Bridgeport
Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police. The Monroe, New Canaan,
Shelton, and Trumbull Police Departments assisted with the arrests of the
defendants.

This case is being prosecuted by
Assistant United States Attorneys Hal Chen and Peter Jongbloed.